To the Ocean
by TheChestnutTree
Summary: So much changed since the day Wall Maria was breached, but now his wish would finally come true.


He couldn't see anything but the blinding rage that roared like a fire in his skull, urging him to destroy everything.

"Jaeger, get back in position!"

He couldn't hear anything but the sound of his own primal howl that he didn't know he had; an animalistic embodiment of his raw sorrow and grief bursting out like a geyser.

"EREN, DON'T!"

Eren would rip apart that blue sky for him. He'd set fire to the green fields for him. He'd douse the world in the colour of ashes and blood for him. He deserved the world, so Eren would give it to him, one death, one corpse at a time.

"ALL HE WANTED TO DO WAS TO SEE THE OCEAN!" Eren screamed, hot tears, blood and sweat covering his body. He felt no pain, no fatigue.

He repeated that single phrase again and again as he cut down everything before him. The feeling of bone and flesh as soft as cheese against his blade gave him little comfort. He hungered to make the world hurt more. To make it pay for taking away the one person who deserved to live the most. Eren didn't even know if he had control over his actions. He just slashed and ran at a feverish pace, driven by raw adrenaline alone. He believed that he would know once the world had paid for its wrongdoings. That when Eren destroyed the equivalent of Armin's worth, the hunger would be satisfied. But he knew that Armin was worth more to him than anything this world had left to offer him. And yet, he couldn't stop fighting. He wouldn't stop fighting, until nothing was left standing but himself.

But even though he felt no pain and felt no fatigue, his body couldn't stand it anymore. His legs refused to run. His hands refused to hold the blade. His wounds refused to stop gushing blood.

And Eren eventually fell to the ground, his mind still raging war against the world.

"How is he?"

Mikasa looked up, eyes ringed in dark circles. "These injuries are worse than anything he has ever sustained as a human or Titan."

"Not just physical injuries." Levi sat down beside her, studying the sleeping boy. "You were right—not to interfere. He would've killed us all."

Mikasa didn't say anything. Her palms were bleeding from clenching her fists together for so long. "How many casualties?"

"We'd estimate twenty on our side. The enemy was just about annihilated, apart from a few we kept for interrogation." Levi answered. "They hid beneath the corpses of their allies to escape his wrath."

"Only? In the battle to free mankind, only twenty?" Mikasa wanted to laugh, but it wasn't even funny when her chest hurt so bad. Only twenty out of three hundred fighters. And one of them had to be Armin?

"Mostly thanks to Eren did the numbers stay so low; he singlehandedly won the battle."

"Will he recover?"

"Hange thinks so." Levi stood. "Though they are busy; Erwin and Hange hadn't slept for two days, so forgive them if Eren isn't their priority."

Mikasa sensed that Levi's words were less barbed than usual and didn't have the heart to start a fight with the Captain. She knew that he had slept less than any one of them. "I see."

Levi regarded her with an unreadable expression. "I recovered what was left of Armin."

A small mahogany box landed in Mikasa's lap. It was simple, with an elegant silver clasp. On the lid was engraved a single word: Live. It was so…Armin, that she couldn't breathe. "This…"

"They disposed of most of the corpses, but I had Armin cremated." Levi responded. "Take him and Eren. The Queen has prepared a carriage and supplies for you."

"Where?"

"Can't say right now. We need Eren away. He's too much of a hazard, after what he did. The people fear him, and the military will surely see if they can get him to replicate his actions, which are impossible, unless..." Levi shrugged, staring at Mikasa meaningfully. Unless he witnessed her death as well. "We cannot afford to lose you, especially after Armin. Do you trust us?"

Her eyes were blank, but she stood, gingerly storing the box in a worn out satchel. "Help me carry Eren's body."

Eren opened his eyes, and for one blissful moment, he thought he heard his mother laughing with someone in the kitchen. Then, it all came rushing back, suffocating him.

"Don't get up."

Mikasa pushed him back into the bed and he didn't have the strength to resist. He was so tired, every nerve in his body was screaming out in pain. "Where are we?"

"Listen." Outside, crashing sounds repeated not unpleasantly; it was soothing. The smell of salt and fish stung his nose.

"This…"

"The ocean." She confirmed. Eren saw that her eyes were red and puffy as she tried to smile at him. "Levi helped us sneak away."

"Armin..." Eren choked out. "Armin, we are at the ocean!"

"This was his dream." Mikasa took Eren's bloodied hands in her own calloused ones. He felt a cool, cubic object slip into his fingers. A box.

"What's…" then he noticed the words neatly engraved into the lid. "…his dream will came true then?"

Mikasa nodded. "When you can walk again, we'll take him to the ocean."

"And set him free into the waves." Eren agreed. He didn't feel sad or angry anymore. Just so lonely. "So that he can see everything there is to see in the world. It will all be his."

"Historia gave us a boat." Mikasa said. "We can sail the ocean and see where it takes us."

"We'll come back to see them all. Historia, Jean, Sasha, Erwin, Levi…"

"We'll tell them stories about burning mountains and fields of ice."

"Yeah," Eren closed his eyes, feeling tears burning behind them again, "let's do that."

They knew that what Armin dreamt of was never just to see the ocean. He wished to turn back time, back when they were still at peace and then in that innocent age, to be free of worry as they danced along the seaside. That dream would never come true.

* * *

A/N: So I was feeling angsty therefore Attack on Titan death scenario. Really, this is one of the things I dread the most, to be honest; the trio must survive! Please?! (Why do I torture myself with delusions this is Attack on Titan.)


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